


Listen Closely and Give it a Shot

by Normal_Norman



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Daryl comforts him, Daryl refuses to call Paul 'Jesus', I don't know what other tags to use, Jesus cries, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Misunderstandings, Sad Jesus (Walking Dead), Slight Internalized Homophobia, Worried Daryl Dixon, maggie ships it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-28
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-10-12 06:10:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10483911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Normal_Norman/pseuds/Normal_Norman
Summary: Paul 'Jesus' Rovia overhears Daryl and Maggie talking before he and Daryl go on a run. He decides to eavesdrop but misses most of the conversation and hears something that hurts his feelings. Paul gets really upset while they're scavenging so Daryl has to tell him what was said.





	

**Author's Note:**

> In case you didn't see the tag above, Daryl doesn't call Paul 'Jesus'. Like, at all. It's a headcanon that I have because of when Daryl said, "Nah, guy calls himself Jesus." I tried my best to keep them in character so I hope they're not too OOC. This is my first Daryl/Jesus fic so, with all of that said, enjoy.

“Paul? You in here?” Daryl whispers loudly as he steps inside the abandoned apartment building. He's careful to step over the broken glass and avoid the dangling light fixtures. If he's too loud, he'll draw out unwanted company.  _'Goddamit Paul, where the fuck are you?’_ Daryl thinks as he glances in the open doors as he passes them.

His head jerks to the left when he hears an odd sound down the hallway. He knows it's either Paul or a walker. He also knows that there's an off chance that it could be another human. Whether he wants to or not, he has to investigate; Paul was supposed to meet him back at the car 15 minutes ago, and it's not like Paul to be late.

He takes a deep breath and turns down the hallway. He's normally okay in these situations, but it's getting dark fast and there's obviously no light in this building. He silently and quickly walks down the hallway, listening for any strange sounds.  _‘Wait, what the hell is that noise?’_ Daryl thinks when he hears ragged breathing behind a closed door.

He lifts his bow up to his shoulder and puts his finger on the trigger as he puts his other hand on the door to push it open. He takes another deep breath and pushes it open. “Paul? Paul, are you okay?” Daryl asks when he realizes who is in the room. It takes him all of two seconds to realize that Paul is on his knees crying into his hands. Daryl shuts the door before he rushes over to Paul and kneels in front of him.

“Paul, what's wrong? Look at me,” Daryl says as he uses his index finger to lift the other man's head. There are tears streaking his dusty cheeks and his eyes are as red as the rag in Daryl’s back pocket.

“Daryl,” Paul breathes. Daryl sees tears forming in his eyes again, so Daryl pulls the younger man into his chest and wraps his arms around him. He feels Paul grasp his shirt in both hands as sobs wrack his body. He feels the wetness from Paul's tears soak through his shirt.

Daryl holds him until the sobs subside and Paul pushes himself away from Daryl’s chest. Daryl looks down at him and never wants to see Paul look like this ever again. Paul looks absolutely destroyed and nothing like the same man he met roughly a month ago.

“Paul, talk to me. Please,” Daryl pleads as he puts his hands on the other man’s cheeks. He wipes away the stray tears with his thumbs and frowns. Paul raises his hands and puts them on top of Daryl’s wrists.

“Daryl, I heard what you said to Maggie before we left. And I'm sorry,” Paul says as more tears form in his eyes. Daryl thinks back to the conversation he had with Maggie before they left and shakes his head. Paul must have only heard part of the conversation.

He had told Maggie that he was scared of what he was feeling for Paul and that he didn't want to get close to him. He didn't want Paul to get hurt because of him. Paul must have only heard the part where he said he didn't want to get close to him.

“Paul, you musta missed some of conversation. I didn't want to get close to you and you get hurt ‘cause of me. I’m scared as hell ‘cause of how I feel about you and it's goin’ to make me reckless. I've known for a long time that I wasn't interested in women, but I've never felt like this towards anyone, and it's scaring the shit outta me. I was always told that I’m not supposed to feel this way towards another man. I had it beaten into me that this is wrong. I know it’s okay to feel like this now but I also know that if you get hurt, or worse, it’ll absolutely crush me,” Daryl explains quickly and quietly. Paul takes a deep breath and nods.

“Okay. Well, the world is ending, so we may as well try, and see where it goes. Maggie told me I should try it even if it doesn't last,” Paul says with a small smile. Daryl's eyes are wide as Paul leans forward and presses their lips together. Daryl freezes and when he doesn't react, Paul pulls back with a frown.

Daryl comes back to his senses and shakes his head, “can we try again?” Paul chuckles and nods. He leans in again, just short of Daryl’s lips. Daryl closes the gap and sighs with relief. It's a short kiss, but every doubt Daryl had disappears like smoke when they separate. He makes a vow to himself to protect this man at all costs. He smiles when he realizes that Paul is very capable of protecting himself.  _'But dammit, I can help,'_ he thinks.

Daryl leans his forehead on Paul's and breathes a shaky breath, “thank you.”

Paul smiles and nods, “my pleasure.”

“We should probably be getting back. It's dark already.”

“We should also probably tell Maggie thank you,” Paul says with a chuckle.

“She's a little bossy,” Daryl says, “but I love her.”

Paul nods in agreement then stands with an outstretched hand. Daryl takes it willingly and doesn't let go when they walk out of the room. Paul clicks on a small flashlight and leads them quietly out of the building. Daryl smiles at the back of the man in front of him and sends a silent thank you to whatever “higher being” there may or may not be for putting Maggie in his life. Because without her, he wouldn't have him. 

When they reach Hilltop in the early hours of the morning, Maggie is the first person to see them. She calls for some men to unload the supplies from their SUV as she waves to them. Daryl notices that she smiles a little at both of them then glances down at their intertwined hands as they walk toward her. He blushes deep red as her smile breaks into a full grin.

He's waiting for the “I knew it” when she walks the rest of the way to them, instead, she just pulls them both into a hug. Daryl smiles a rare grin and hugs her tightly. He turns his head toward her ear and whispers a ‘thank you’. She nods and releases them both.

“Go get cleaned up. You're both disgusting. There's some beef and vegetable soup in the trailer you guys can eat,” She tells them as she walks back to the garden. They both nod and walk toward their trailer, hand in hand. Daryl smiles again and glances at Paul who is also smiling.

“I'm exhausted, how ‘bout you?” Daryl asks when they get inside. He flops down on the couch and relaxes into the cushions. Paul nods and flops down next to him. Daryl closes his eyes and jumps a little when he feels Paul put his head in his lap.

“I’m tired,” He hears Paul say quietly as he runs his fingers through Paul's hair. They stay like that for a long time and Daryl feels himself dozing off. He can hear Paul's small snores which lull him to sleep.

Neither of them stir when Maggie comes inside to change. She smiles at the sight of Paul's head in Daryl's lap and Daryl's hand on Paul's chest as she goes to the bathroom to quietly change clothes. When she's finished changing, she whispers _'I knew it’_ before laughing to herself. As she leaves, she grabs the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign Paul jokingly picked up a few weeks ago and hangs it on the door.


End file.
